ENVIRONMENT Secretary Andrea Leadsom has pledged to make the British food industry a global powerhouse that will see the shelves of foreign supermarkets stacked with UK produce.

Leadsom says she will be launching a major export drive to open up new markets in China

Mrs Leadsom’s plans, dubbed the Great British Takeaway, were revealed as she prepared to embark on her first trade mission to China where food and drink exports from the UK have increased by more than 180 per cent in the past year.

Speaking before her visit to Beijing this weekend, Mrs Leadsom said she would be launching a major export drive to open up new markets in China, home to more than 1.4 billion people.

Describing the visit as a “massive opportunity” for the UK, she said the huge growth in the Chinese middle class had boosted demand for British produce.

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She also claims that British culture has become a growing influence, with exports of British tea to China now on the rise.

What we want to see is a kind of Great British Takeaway

Andrea Leadsom - Environment Secretary

“For us in terms of food exports, China is such a huge market,” Mrs Leadsom explained.

“Demand is on the rise. There is this huge growth in the Chinese middle class and they love the great British brand.

“The reality is, food production and farming is worth more than £100billion a year to the UK economy and the food and farming sector employs one in eight workers – so it is about so much more than tea and biscuits.

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Food production and farming is worth more than £100billion a year to the UK economy

“Issues like food safety and traceability are really important to Chinese consumers so we have a massive opportunity.

“The idea is to go out there and really promote our food.” Last year the UK exported more than £290million of food, drink and agriculture products to China.

For the first half of this year alone, the UK’s exports from this sector were worth £200million, an increase of more than 180 per cent.

Mrs Leadsom continued: “My ambition in the years to come, as we leave the EU, is to see British food in supermarkets across the world so that wherever you go you can buy British food.

“Over time we will be able to create policies that work much better for the UK rather than for the 28 EU member states.

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Leadsom says that exports of British tea to China now on the rise

“What we want to see is a kind of Great British Takeaway.”

Mrs Leadsom hopes her vision for British food and farm producers to “grow more, sell more and export more” will also benefit consumers in the UK.

Despite a number of firms, such as Birds Eye and Walkers, blaming Brexit for threatened price rises, the Environment Secretary says food prices will stay competitive once the UK has left the EU.

“None of us has a crystal ball but as a Government we have a 25-year plan for farming which sets out a huge ambition for us to be doing more for British food,” Mrs Leadsom said.

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“If we grow more and produce more that will make us more productive and cost effective.

“It’s very difficult to predict the future but given the diverse range of food we have access to in this country, with several varieties, for example, of each vegetable, that kind of competition will keep prices competitive.

“As more firms seize the opportunity to get out there and export more they can take advantage of those opportunities.”

Mrs Leadsom added: “The UK economy is very strong and doing incredibly well. In general food price inflation has been low so I’m confident we’re in a good place.”